Newsletter No 1
Letter from the Nomad African Trust’s project manager.
Hello and welcome to all. My name is Gray Maguire and I am the Project Manager for the Nomad African Trust. Every two months we will be sending out a newsletter to interested parties with details of how things are going with the Trust and its beneficiaries, and this is the first one.
The Launch
The Trust was launched on the 10th of May at the Indaba tourism expo in Durban and the Nomad team made the most of the opportunity to spread the word and give people the chance to give something back. Naturally, being the fourth largest travel expo in the world, there was a huge amount of exposure for the Trust and a great deal of interest was shown by members of the tourism industry and by the general public.
It is becoming apparent that the tourism industry as a whole is maturing and becoming aware of the responsibility that comes from using the people, places and animals of this continent commercially.
New Members
It is my pleasure to announce that we have received commitments from the following organisations to support the Trust and we look forward to turning their commitments into real benefits to the NGO’s and projects that we have selected as the appropriate beneficiaries. Our new members are.
| Nomad Adventure Tours and Holidays | Platinum Status |
| Rola Motors | Platinum Status |
| Helderberg Insurance Brokers | Gold Status |
| Safari Par Excellence | Gold Status |
| African Adventure Tours Online | Gold Status |
| Green Earth Consulting | Silver Status |
| Trentyre | Silver Status |
| Desert Explorers | Bronze Status |
We thank our new members for their support and we look forward to adding many more new members as the Trust grows. For interested parties who like to find out about supporting the Nomad African Trust you can e-mail info@nomadafricantrust.co.za for further details about the Trust and how to become involved.
Beneficiaries
Ngwavuma Mpontshini
Winter is a challenging time of the year for the tourism industry in South Africa, but we are not alone in this regard. Many of our poorest communities feel the pinch at this time year and the children at the Ngwavuma Mpontshini school and HIV/AIDS orphanage can attest to this.
Situated high in the mountains the school is prone to days of biting cold and the 25 children in the orphanage have no warm homes to go to. The rain fall is also very low in this part of Zululand in the winter months, but Hlegiwe Mthembu and her kids still push on with the planting of their leafy vegetables to feed hungry mouths
Judah Square
Meanwhile in the much wetter garden route The Judah Square pre-school facility is well under way with the development of new offices and plans to extend the current classrooms. Catering for over 20 children, this small pre-school is fast becoming a well respected educational institution in the Kayalethu Township.
Machabeng
The Machabeng area is going ahead with the development of a permanent camp and together with the locals, has chosen a site overlooking the breathtaking landscape. Volunteers and locals have been busy clearing the area and road, compiling species lists and identifying archaeological sites within the new Machabeng Reserve.
Sodwana bay recycling
The Sodwana recycling project is moving ahead smoothly and after the conference held on the 12th and 13th of June the project now enjoys the support of the local tour operators, Ezimvelo Wildlife and the local Unkhanyakude community and municipality.
Jane Goodall Institute
Probably the most exciting news is that Jane Goodall herself has been paying South Africa a visit from the 6th of July and she was at the Jane Goodall Institute in Nelspruit to support the JGI’s adopt a chimp program. She had a special treat in store for Chimp adoptees who had adopted a chimp before the 4th of July by meeting them personally at a function at the institute on the 9th of July.
The institute has received 2 new chimps, Suzi and Lilly, from Angola in May, 1 more from Ghana on the 26th of June and will be receiving another 7 at the start of July, bringing their total to 30 rescued chimps. Feel free to check out their web-site at www.janegoodall.co.za for further details.
Stay posted to our website at www.nomadafricantrust.co.za for more developments at our beneficiaries.